9 things world expects your teenager to know

Teenage officially refers to the age starting from 13 to 19 years in your child’s life. This age is characterized by the much talked about mood swings, irritability at the drop of the hat and negligible social interactions. The changes are happening inside the bodies and brains of these adolescents and the demands of living it up in this fast-paced world, peer pressures, social media addictions, the fear of missing out; all of these playing their part in creating the havoc in their lives.

Being moody, having little patience, helplessly confined within themselves are these teenagers trying to find their real selves. If statistics are to go by, more than 90% teenagers these days keep themselves busy on social media or other electronic gadgets which make them disregard the presence of any other individual completely with no regrets at all. However living lives on social media is creating a whole set of its own challenges, the skills to deal with the demands of everyday life screaming different stress on these young minds.

An early start to groom your kids on a variety of life skills required by them to excel eases out this pressure. An array of skillset that any teenager must possess in order to survive in this dynamic fast moving world is:

Life skills for teenagers

Communication: Effective Communication is the fundamental skill that leads to success in any role that the child plays. It involves Listening and speaking assertively, giving feedback and influencing others, paraphrasing and sticking to the agenda, all of these are important pillars for effective communication that a teenager is expected to excel at. Read about the Art of Developing Listening Skills in kids here.

Building connections – Networking and building bonds with people is one skill that goes a long way in helping create success in life.

Self-management – Discipline is the key here. Early in life when introduced to schedules, fixed routines, the brain learns to tune to itself to follow it with perseverance. In the process, the child learns to focus and practice self-control.

Enthusiasm and motivation – kids need to be taught the art of taking initiative, pursuing his/her interest with full enthusiasm, being committed to a cause or personal goals.

Valuing relationships – the parent is the first relationship a child has. If the parent values his relationship with the child, the kid will automatically learn to be friendly and give importance to all relationships in life.

Developing empathy – understanding the emotions and sentiments of another person and respecting it is one of the main ways to make them social and interactive. He must know how to look at things from others’ perspective, the art of forgiveness and be human.

Cooperation and team spirit – emphasize the worth of being part of a larger team. He needs to value unity, positive competitiveness, teamwork, and genuine support.

To accept criticism positively. Teach him to take feedback and opinions with an open mind rather than being defensive or fear getting opposing views and comments.

Make a great first impression – Positive body language cues, Personal grooming, habits, and etiquettes and having an impactful conversation all form a part of making a great first impression.